A high-flying student took his own life because he was embarrassed about not doing as well as he had hoped in his university finals, an inquest heard.

Talib Hussain, 23, went missing the day before he was due to graduate from Manchester University and his body was found in a Bradford snicket ten days later.

A police manhunt was launched when Talib failed to return home in July last year and the discovery of his body on Carlisle Road sparked a murder investigation.

His family told the T&A when he disappeared that they feared he could have been forced into the hands of a terrorist group because of his chemistry skills.

But yesterday's inquest was told that there were no suspicious circumstances and that Talib had taken his own life.

Bradford Coroner Roger Whittaker was told that Talib, who lived with his family on Springcliffe Street, Bradford, had left school with four A grades at A-level and had been studying chemical engineering at university.

But he had not been doing as well as he had hoped and he had concealed from his family the fact that he had had to re-sit a year by claiming that he was doing a masters course.

Eventually Talib did gain a pass degree, but the hearing was told that he had been expected to achieve a higher grade.

He had told his family that he had passed but had not given a grade or told them when the graduation ceremony was.

Mr Whittaker said that the lower grade had embarrassed Talib. He added: "Unbeknown to his family his studies were not going as well as they thought they were going to, to the extent that he had to repeat a year.

"What's clear is that ultimately, shortly before his death he did conclude his studies and passed the degree course. The family were aware that he had passed but not to the level he had passed but I'm sure if they had been aware of the actual results they would have been just as pleased and proud of Talib."

Hassan Mahmood lived with Talib while they were at university and told the coroner his friend was a happy person who studied hard.

Mr Mahmood, a medical student, said Talib never really seemed down and was always laughing and joking.

But on July 2 last year after telling his grandmother to take care he left his home in Bradford without taking anything with him.

It was not until July 12 that his body was found by a man walking along Carlisle Road.

Detective Superintendent Timothy Forber described to the coroner how Talib was found with a plastic bag round his neck.

He said that after an extensive investigation he had come to the conclusion that there were no suspicious circumstances and no third party involvement.

Mr Whittaker recorded a verdict that Talib had committed suicide and added: "I believe that he intended to take his own life to avoid that embarrassment to him but not his family of finding out that he had not done as well as he thought at university."